Thursday, January 6, 2011

Meet Your Blogger: TheSkyIScrape.com

Since one of our first posts of the New Year was one of his Guided Tours, I decided to go ahead and start 2011's Meet Your Blogger series with our own Dr. Stip. In a world where millions of fans each have their own opinions about Pearl Jam, their music, and their lyrics, stip often rises above the din with a measured, confident, and fair assessment of Pearl Jam's art. Many will disagree with him, but none will disrespect him. -B

ON-LINE PERSONA: stip

WEBSITE: theskyiscrape.comTheSkyIScrape.com is a Pearl Jam news and debate website featuring one of the most active, fan-run forums, Red Mosquito, whose members provide cutting edge news and spirited discussions about all things Pearl Jam.

REAL NAME: Brian Stipelman

LOCATION: Huntington, NY USA

DAY JOB: Professor of Politics at Dowling College

IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT PEARL JAM IS YOUR OBSESSION. WHY PEARL JAM?I love the guitar interplay and the passion and commitment in the music, but really it's Eddie. No singer has ever connected with me the way he has.

FAVORITE ALBUM:Vitalogy

FAVORITE SONG(S): Alive

FAVORITE BAND MEMBER:Eddie

HOW MANY SHOWS HAVE YOU ATTENDED?22

WHAT WAS YOUR GREATEST PEARL JAM EXPERIENCE?Pearl Jam is more a constant for me than a series of high or lows. My greatest experience would probably be feeling the bleachers shake during Betterman at MSG2 2008, or the moment they first took the stage at my first show in 96 (Last Exit).

HOW EXTENSIVE IS YOUR PEARL JAM COLLECTION?Just about everything officially released and pretty much every bootlegged show through 2006. I've fallen off the wagon a bit since then.

IS THERE A SPECIFIC LYRIC THAT MOVES YOU? "If I knew where it was I would take you there. There's much more than this." [Breath]

WHAT ELSE IS ON YOUR IPOD RIGHT NOW?Tom Waits, REM, and Mark Lanegan are always in heavy rotation.

WHEN YOU WALK AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?Reading.

WHAT PASSIONS DO YOU HAVE BEYOND PEARL JAM?World of Warcraft, fantasy novels, politics, and teaching